Fitness - the "vacation" from health

Okay, so you like to take vacations every summer, and I mean that in more ways than one. Not only do you like to vacation in your favorite tropical paradise, but you also like to take a vacation from your fitness, housework and eating routine. 

 Everybody likes to take vacations. And in the summertime, vacations can happen in many ways; a pleasant jaunt to the beach, a road trip to Seattle, anywhere by air, and of course the most common, the vacation from the gym. 

 Now don’t get me wrong, we all have done it. We have skipped the gym because we are “tired,” “too-busy,” or “too hot.” And once in a while life does just get too busy to throw time into going to the gym. Over the year, I have come to realize that whether it is 20 minutes or 60 minutes , I have to find time to nourish my body by staying active. 

 With over 8 years of being involved in the fitness industry, I have heard every excuse in the book. Don’t tell me you don’t have time to be active, if you have time to grab a coffee, drive to work, check your Facebook, tweet pictures of your breakfast, then you do have time to be active. Many of my clients approach me in spring with the expected “ I’m going to be going away all of June and part of July “ or “my kids are out of school and I don’t have that free time in the day anymore,” or even “it’s too hot to work out.” I, on the other hand, do not exercise any less while on vacation. I look at exercise like oxygen. My body needs this everyday. When I say everyday I don’t mean I need to go pump iron every day and hop on the elliptical for 30 minutes . What I mean is, If I’m camping then I go for a hike , explore the great outdoors and witness all of nature’s beauty while getting my body moving. If I’m off in a tropical paradise, then I go running on the beach every morning ( running in the sand is surprisingly tough ).

For those trips we all take to our local patios. Before going, look up the menu. This is an easy way to eliminate those temptations before you get the restaurant. Sharing is caring so share appies! All too often I see Facebook posts or twitter posts of people going out for appies and drinks with filtered pictures of their artsy food or beverages. But there are no pictures of the fun, healthy choices they made that day. I must say I do enjoy a great meal prepped for me from a local fine dining restaurant but I do often do my homework before I go out . Call me crazy, but I look up the menu and calories/fat etc. Why ? Because alot of restaurants want repeat customers, so they want the food to taste extra yummy. As a fitness professional I have discovered that extra yummy means extra sugar, fat, or salt. If you still want to go out with your friends, here are a couple tips that I do when I am patio hopping:

 1) I stick to the basics. If I want a sautéed veggie side then I get the chicken breast lightly basted and grilled (without skin ) and vice versa, if I get steamed veggies, then I get the regular seasoning on my chicken breast . Always a huge green salad . 

2) Sauce on the Side - is your best friend. If you order all sauce on the side, you get to enjoy all the goodness of the taste. Try dipping your fork into the sauce before you pick up that piece of chicken, that way you know how much sauce you’re eating. If I want dressing I get it on the side and dip my fork in it before a bite of salad . I compromise - simple 

3) For the busy moms ,I know how hard it is to balance taking care of everyone, then trying to take care of yourself. I remember the days when my mom was raising us children during summer months. My mother would be attending to my needs ( i.e. prepping my nutritious breakfast, clothes for the day) and then running back to the living room for 1-2 mins at a time to do her step aerobics on her tacky bright pink and turquoise step bench guided by a a woman wearing matching coloured headband and tights under a bathing-suit type outfit then, back to my little brother who woke up crying in his crib , Fifteen minutes later she would turn the volume down and continue, only for me to spill my milk on the carpet. My point? In my opinion , everyone can put some sort of focus on their fitness and proper nutrition , whatever the scenario or time of year . 

We live in a world where there are many choices for exercise and food. Make some. Do your homework ... Always have a game plan 

Yours in health,

Nabina Shah 

elite personal trainer & owner of Revive Hair & Body Lounge Ltd. (personal training/ group fitness classes, spa, hair and esthetics studio) Port Moody BC For more information please check out the Revive Hair & Body Lounge on Facebook